


Love at First Sight

by orphan_account



Category: Maleficent (2014)
Genre: A few no-so-original original character, Drunkenness, F/M, Major Original Character(s), Slow Build, Slow To Update, Unofficial Sequel, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-20
Updated: 2015-03-22
Packaged: 2018-02-05 10:31:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1815355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aurora is the queen of two kingdoms, but one needs more guidance than the other. Much draws her away from the Moors, both duty and love compels her to leave the fairy realm in exchange for the human lands. Maleficent, however, doesn't plan on letting her leave without some sort of protection. Who better to send than her wings?</p><p>Diaval doesn't like Phillip. He can’t help but question the prince's love for Aurora because of the failed kiss when she was still trapped under Maleficent’s spell. Whether the prince’s love for her is true, and whether any of them can trust the man, hinges on one question Diaval must find the answer to. Is there such thing as love at first sight?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Diaval knew there was something monumental was happening even before he flew into the castle. Maleficent had been right, in the past year something had been stirring in human world and in the last week the tension had come to a peak. He doubted he would have to spend much time in the city. People seemed to be bursting with news, he was bound to hear something somewhere. If he figured it out soon, he might even have a little time to spare for himself before returning to his mistress-- wouldn’t that be something.      

It had only been a season since Maleficent had saved him from the hunters, and his life had changed forever. Torn from his beautiful feathered self into this new human form, he had much to learn. He adapted to human speech and language, he became her ‘wings’ flying from the human castle back to the Moors, telling of what he saw and heard in the capital of the king. She had some grudge against that ruler, and was waiting for some tidbit she could use against King Stefan. What he had done to earn her wrath had been a question that had crossed Diaval’s mind more than once, but it was none of his business, and it hardly mattered to his job. He just gathered the data, she could do what she wanted with it.

Diaval perched in the rafters above a room full of women. They sat at wooden tables, weaving and gossiping. He guessed they were servants by their simple dressing and lack of finery. They all seemed excited. But unfortunately nobody was talking loud enough for Diaval to catch more than a few words, so he was still no closer to finding out what all the fuss was about.

After what seemed like hours, at a point where Diaval was contemplating finding a new perch, a portly women came rushing in squealing, “It’s a girl!” excitedly. All the women stopped their weaving and began spreading the news. A few ran out of the room to tell others nearby.

 _It’s a girl,_ thought Diaval. Well, that could mean any number of things, but he thought he had a pretty good guess.

Diaval knew he couldn’t return on just what he heard. He would need to see for himself. He flew out of the room and into a courtyard inside the castle walls. Gliding through another window and up a flight of stairs, he turned into a hallway and rose up another staircase, taking him to the head servant’s quarters. If he was going to learn anything about what was going on, that was the place. The butler, however, had caught Diaval one too many times and might’ve been starting to grow suspicious. So, Diaval avoided it when possible, which was why he hadn’t come immediately. He was so close now, though, it was worth the risk.

He flew up to the rafters and listened, hoping to catch something of importance. He was not disappointed. Coming down the hall was the butler himself, drawn up straight and looking down his long nose, and some footman that Diaval vaguely recognized scurrying behind, eager to please.

“Tell the maids to make sure the nursery is clean and ready for the child. And get the wet nurse to the royal chambers immediately. This is the queen’s first child, and she may get it in her head to nurse the girl. We cannot have that.” The footman nodded and dashed down the set of stairs Diaval had just ascended up.

He waited for the butler to get out of sight, and then followed the footman. Flying down a few flights of steps behind him, he surreptitiously hovered in the shadows as the man ran down the hallway to deliver his message. Soon enough, a gaggle of young maids came rushing out in a rather undignified manner, and Diaval took off—heading off to follow them. Upstairs, down stairs, through hallways; the maze of the castle was as unwieldy as it was indecipherable. Diaval had to duck into room more than once to avoid being seen by the passerby, and race to catch up with the girls. This sort of thing had to be his worst favorite part of the job, but it had to be done. He had no idea where this nursery was, so it wasn’t like he could abandon the maids and take a short cut.

Finally, they ducked out the servant’s hallways and into a main corridors, stampeding through a large set of doors. Diaval struggled to get through as they slammed shut behind them, and breathed a sigh of relief. This was obviously a nursery; blue painted walls, large windows, a cradle at the center, and rocking chairs and toys scattered throughout the room. He fluttered to the top as the girls hurriedly straightened up, running cloths over surfaces to assure there was no dust, while others stoked the fire. Once they were satisfied everything looked perfect, they filed out, rushing down the hallway as not to be seen by any of the royal or noble folk passing by.

He relaxed, alone at last. Racing and hiding, then racing again could get tiring. Now all he had to do was wait, then get out. Getting out, Diaval realized, as he combed back through where he had been, was not going to be a snap. He highly doubted any of these windows would open, and he wasn’t sure exactly where he was. But he would cross that bridge when he got to it.

Hours passed as Diaval waited, and he wondered about all the fuss the maids had raised, if the rest of the castle was in no hurry to get here. He was nodding off when he finally heard footsteps coming down the hallway. Shaking himself to alertness, he waited as the doors opened inward.

He saw the nanny or wet nurse, he supposed that the woman was either of the two. He could also see that she was carrying something, a small bundle of cloths. He waited as she scuttled to the center of the room, fiddling at the fabric in her arms before she gently dropped it into the cradle.

“You wait one moment, dearie,” she said with a grin, before leaving the room.

Diaval was unable to control himself, and he floated down and perched on the child’s cradle. She gurgled and laughed. Squealing, she reached up towards him. She looked just like any other baby you might see. Pink face, chubby arms, and swaddled in soft clothing. Even so, there was something special about the girl. A light seemed to emanate from her. She radiated happiness and wonder, glowed with something so pure, Diaval’s breath was taken from him. Something in his heart was moved by this little child that was stretching toward him, so trusting and without sin. She was lovely.

Diaval gazed down at the baby, not consciously realizing any of this. He felt her glow and he was moved, but he did not understand what had changed within him. The nanny bustled back in, a gasp emitting from her as she saw the bird. She shouted hysterically, and Diaval took off. But not without one last look at the girl in her crib.

As he fled away, through hallways and finally out a door, then through the fields and pastors, back to his dark mistress, his mind was filled with nothing but the light of the child he had just left.


	2. When You Wish Upon a Star

There was nothing more magnificent in the world than flying.

Changed by Maleficent from that monstrously ugly and offish two legged human form, Diaval soared through the air. His black wings carried him up through the trees, dodging vines and rising through the thick canopy, then down low skimming water and racing around fairies and other creatures until they were screeching in rage and annoyance. Diaval cawed in amusement as he flew, enjoying this short time while it lasted.

“Pretty bird!” called a voice from below. Diaval hovered for a moment, and peered down to see Aurora waving exuberantly and smiling. She seemed to glow with light, golden hair in messes and tangles cascading down her shoulders, she was in a pink gown today. Not surprising, it was only ever pink or blue. Flora and Merriweather had made her a plethora of each, hoping she would become fond of one color over the other, and finally end the long standing argument between them of which was better.

He dropped and perched on her outstretched hand. She laughed and plopped down to the ground, resting her back against a tree.

“So,” she said, “I see Maleficent has changed you, I know you have been bothering her about it for the last, well, forever. Is it all you remember?” Diaval cawed in reply, and she nodded while looking wistfully upward.

“To fly,” she admitted, “I wonder what it would be like. The most wonderful thing in world I’d imagine.” Diaval cawed in response, agreeing heartily.

She gasped in mock offense.

“Well that’s not very nice,” She pouted. “You should have said, ‘Oh, Aurora, it’s nice and all, but climbing and jumping are much the same thing and so you’re not missing out on much.’” She sighed as Diaval croaked in amusement, and she collapsed on the ground. Diaval flitted off her hand and landed on a branch a little above her. “Well, at least I never have to worry about you lying to me.”

“Oh!” She jolted up to her feet. “Guess what! Oh you’ll never guess!” She grinned waiting patiently for Diaval to caw in question, but he refused to, instead opting to regard her with nonchalance.

She quickly lost patience, and began spilling out the words. “I’ve been talking to Flora, Fauna and Merriweather, and…” she waited again, and Diaval decided to indulge her, cawing in confusion. She grinned. “They are teaching me how to talk to animals.” She bounced excitedly.

Diaval looked at her thoughtfully, wondering how on earth the incompetent fairies who raised the girl could possibly attempt to teach anyone anything, let alone something as complicated as getting a human to speak animals. He waited, eyeing her with trepidation.

She shrugged. “We’ve had limited success.” She admitted. “They can barely agree on how to fly correctly; as soon as one tries to explain how to communicate to a bird passing by, the other two scream in horror that she’s doing it wrong, and the bird bolts away as fast as its little wings will carry it.” She brightened. “But turns out, I have a knack for it! Here, let me try.” She sat up straight, and looked intently into Diaval’s eyes “Say something.”

Diaval couldn’t help but doubt that this would work, but he humored her anyway. He cawed, “Flora, Fauna, and Merriweather couldn’t teach a fish to swim.”

There were giggles around the tree, and different fairy creatures understood his speech. Aurora scrunched up her face in concentration.

“In this weather, Mary couldn’t fish or swim-- I missed the first part entirely! Augh! They were names, weren’t they? I am positively awful with names!” She flopped onto the ground. “I know it’s wrong. With owls, sparrows, bunnies, and squirrels, I can understand them all! But the one bird I want to understand; nothing!” She blew out a sigh of frustration, then looked around, taking in the faint amused chuckles and entertained laughs. “Hey, what’s so funny?”This only made the fairy creatures roar with even more hilarity, and Diaval began laughing, too. She jumped up and tried to look stern.

“What is it?” she demanded, but she wasn’t able to hold back her own giggle, so she didn’t look very imposing. Diaval lifted off his perch, and she collapsed on the ground, shoulders shaking with delight while she attempted to control her laughter. He flitted above her, heart swelling in a way he could not explain. Everything felt so right. Aurora may be human, but she belonged with the Moors, where eyes shined and laughter rang out freely.

“Princess Aurora!” a voice trumpeted through the trees. Aurora immediately sat up, her laughter ceasing. She scrambled up quickly, and started brushing off her dress and smoothing her hair down, picking twigs and leaves out of her locks. Diaval looked in the direction of the voice, and saw the Prince stomping unceremoniously through the trees.

When Diaval had first met him, his heart had filled with hope, but also sadness. Hope that maybe, just maybe, he could be Aurora’s true love, and kiss her to break the spell. Sadness, well, he didn’t know why he felt melancholy when Phillip had seemed to be the answer to all their problems.

Then, Prince Phillip kissed her to no avail. Maybe it was because they had only met once and knew nothing of each other, when the three fairies had bullied him into doing so. Still, Diaval didn’t like that no one had ever told Aurora of the failed kiss. It felt as if she knew the man under false pretenses. Diaval almost told her many times, but couldn’t fund a good reason to bring it up. And he doubted Prince Phillip had discussed it with her.

He flitted away wordlessly, these odd feelings swirling like a tempest inside him.

 

* * *

 

Maleficent had turned him back human in the following hours. He walked through the forest, hating to be grounded. Unfortunately, Maleficent seemed to prefer him in his human form. She could understand him when he was a crow, but it admittedly was a lot easier when they both spoke the same tongue. The only other conciliation, was that Aurora seemed more comfortable around him, also.

Diaval couldn’t deny that some things where a lot easier to do when he was in his human form. Certain things, like hunger and cleanliness, transferred from form to form. Opposable thumbs, however, made washing a lot easier. And the lack of hair or feathers helped too. Usually, unless he was in his crow form for an extended period of time, he would leave bathing for when Maleficent changed him into a human.

As Diaval padded through the woods, his alerted senses detected movement. Someone was walking around in the trees, coming toward him. There was only one person Diaval could think of that would create such a racket, and that person he had no desire to see.

“Ah, Davyell!” said the prince emerging. “I didn’t hear you coming.”

“It’s Diaval,” he muttered, giving the man a baleful look. “And I on the other hand, heard you from miles away.” He went to brush by, but Phillip caught his arm.

“You don’t like me.” The prince concluded, his lip pursing into a frown. Diaval turned to him. His glossy brown hair, wide smile, and fancy clothes. It all seemed fake to him, and unforgivably pretentious.

He wrenched himself out of the other man’s grip. “No, I don’t.” He said, giving Phillip a hard look.

“You care for Aurora, and I am in love with her!” he said reasonably. “It makes no sense—“

Diaval gave him no chance to speak. “And yet, you couldn’t awake her with a kiss.” He groaned to himself, why had he felt the need to bring this up? Whenever he had the ill fortune to cross paths with the prince, he was able to hold his tongue. Maybe he was still adjusting to being human, which caused him to say the first thing that popped into his head.

Phillip stared at him, befuddled. “Wait, how do you know about that?”

It was too late to backtrack and Diaval knew it, so he plowed on. “I was there. Once you left, we came out and Maleficent kissed her on the forehead, that’s how she woke up. But you probably already knew that. Point is, we were there.”

The prince shifted uncomfortably for a moment, then sighed. His gaze softening, he looked as if he had just found fault in a child’s logic. Diaval resisted the urge to hit him.

“We had only just met; of course I couldn’t awake her.” He laughed as he walked off, and Diaval seethed while looking after him. After the prince had disappeared into the foliage, Diaval shook his head trying to rid himself of the anger, and continued trudging through the dense undergrowth.

Soon Diaval reached a secluded pond. It was his favorite in the area because it was fairly clean and rarely visited. He shed his clothing and sank into the cool water, relaxing. He was still in a foul mood from his talk with the Prince, but he was slowly able to forget it as he stared up into the night sky. He would very much like to be there right now, up with the twinkling stars. The sight reminded him of a story he had once heard. It was said that when you wished upon a star, that the wish came true. He smiled; utter nonsense, but charming all the same.

He heard a rustling in the trees, and knew the only reason he heard anything was because she wanted him to know she was approaching. He turned and saw his mistress standing imperiously on the bank. Ever since they had returned to the Moors, it struck him how different she looked. Before she had been cloaked in black, hair hidden by a cowl. Now, brown wings folded against her back, and hair loose. She looked so much more a part of the forest, and much less like something evil.

The respect she commanded was still something to be feared, though. Diaval hastily rose up out of the water and bowed.

One of her eyebrows rose, and she regarded him for a moment.

“Do you know why humans wear clothing and crows do not?” she asked unashamed. She didn’t wait for a reply. “It’s because they have different standards of decency.” She paused as he looked down at himself, not understanding. “Try to keep what is between your legs covered whenever you’re in this form.”

Diaval quickly retreated back into the water, blushing a bit. “So,” he tried to say in the most causal way possible, “Why have you come?”

“Aurora is the queen of two kingdoms.” intoned Maleficent, “Possibly three, from the way the little romance is going.” Diaval shifted uncomfortably below the water.

“One kingdom needs more governing than the other; this land had gotten along without a queen for a great long time. The other, the more human realm is, well, rather less self-sufficient.”

“I wouldn’t disagree, but I don’t see how this has anything to do with me,” Diaval said.

“There will come a time when Aurora will have to leave the Moors for the human realm, and you will go with her. There are few people I will trust, and none of them dwell beyond the forest. She will need protection. Protection you will offer her.”

“Of course, when you do leave,” she continued, her voice a warning, “you must let no one know of your crow nature. That would complicate things. You will go as a human. Though, at that time, I will give you the ability to change between this form and your original one. Your primary objective is to keep the girl safe, as it has always been.”

Diaval nodded. Maleficent turned to leave, and Diaval hesitated, not understanding the impulse that compelled him to call out.

“Do you believe in love at first sight?” he asked, though he thought he knew the answer.

She stopped and turned to him, seeming slightly startled by the abrupt question. Staring at him silently before speaking, she spoke quietly.

“No,” she said, “No, I don’t. But then again, I didn’t believe in true love’s kiss a few months ago, and I was proven wrong. But I think not.”

 Maleficent turned and disappeared through the trees. Diaval sat silently. He didn’t like the idea of Aurora leaving this realm. It was where she belonged. He also wasn’t keen on venturing out into the human realm, a place that would not accept him for what he was. There may be a time when the human lands and the Moors did coexist in harmony, as Maleficent was trying to achieve, but that was a long time in the coming.

More than that, he wondered about Phillip. Aurora deserved a knight in shining armor on a white horse, coming to sweep her off her feet. Phillip seemed to be all that and more. But it always came back to the kiss. Diaval supposed that if Maleficent was right, and there was no such thing as love at first sight, then Phillip was as perfect as Aurora would come by. But if there was, that meant that she was in love with someone who didn’t, or at least hadn’t, loved her back. And that was unacceptable.

 And if he didn’t love her, why was he trying to win Aurora in the first place?

He washed automatically, mind mulling through his worries and doubts. He rose up out of the pool, and slipped on his trousers and reached for his tunic. Decency was something about humans that annoyed him. On cold winter nights, wrapping yourself in blankets and furs made sense. Humans didn’t have that natural isolation that birds and beasts did. But on a hot summer day like this, Diaval would have preferred nothing more than to walk around without the bothersome weight and warmth of cloth. He remembered what Maleficent said, however, and pulled them on anyway.

“Diaval!” shouted a voice through the trees. He looked up, smiling as he recognized Aurora’s voice. Realizing he was still bare chested, he quickly slipped his tunic on before the girl appeared. Who knew how she would react? He knew there were things about his skin that didn’t resemble a regular man’s. He was extremely pale, and had strange grooves and markings on his skin and face. He blushed, embarrassed, not knowing why he cared so much.

“Oh, it’s beautiful!” she exclaimed as she emerged, and crept closer.

“Quiet, too.” He acknowledged, studying the scenery. She almost seemed surprised he had responded, so used to caws in answer. Whenever they met both as humans, it was hard for the first few minutes to adjust to real conversations.

She nodded, touching the surface of the water. “Do you hate your human form? I know you love being a crow, it’s just—“ she sighed, looking up at him.

He walked over and crouched down beside her, and smiled. “I don’t hate it.” He said. “There’s just so little grace.”

She gave him a disbelieving look. “Are you joking? You’re the most graceful human I have ever seen! You barely seem to land on the ground, you glide like you’re on water, Nothings clumsy or hurried. Like a dancer.”

Diaval was surprised to hear this. He had always felt so thunderous in this form.

Aurora laid back on the ground and looked up at the sky. Diaval settled down next to her. She gazed to the sky, brown luminous eyes, golden spun hair, creamy white skin. Diaval never grew tired of looking at her. She glowed with light, not unlike the stars she gazed up at.

“They say,” he whispered gazing at her, “That when you wish upon a star, the wish comes true.”

She turned her head and met his eyes, smiling. Her smile was like the sun. “I think we should test this.” She gazed into the inky blackness speckled with dots of light. “I wish that I will live happily ever after with a man who loved me from the moment he met me. Now your turn.”

“You believe in love at first sight?” asked Diaval, his voice tinged with interest.

“Well, of course I do. I have it right now, with Phillip.” Aurora stated, laughing lightly.

Diaval didn’t react at first, but then nodded slightly, acknowledging the statement.

“Now it’s your turn!” she pressed, urging him. “What are you going to wish for?”

He paused, thinking for a moment. “I wish for home, I suppose.”

“Home?” she asked, glancing at him. “Isn’t this your home?”

“It is and it isn’t.” explained Diaval. “When I was a young bird, my home was a nest in one of the lands of human. All children must leave the nest, though, and after that I flew from place to place, never really having a home. This has been the closest thing I have had to one since then, but I feel as if there’s something missing.”

“Love!” proclaimed Aurora, her tone confident.

Diaval didn’t answer. He doubted he would ever find love. He was neither bird nor human, too strange and too unique. He didn’t want to upset Aurora, though, so he kept the thoughts to himself.

They lay next to each other on the grass by the pond for a long while. Listening to the sounds of the forest and gazing up at the stars. He looked at her and saw that she had fallen asleep, her eyelashes fluttering. He smiled and shut his eyes, waiting for darkness to take him to enter the realm of dreams.

 

* * *

 

 

The time for Aurora to leave the Moors came sooners than Diaval had anticipated. Only days after his meeting with Maleficent, the princess came rushing up to Diaval squealing in excitement.

“He’s proposed!” She exclaimed, jumping into Diaval’s embrace. His arms came around her as she buried her head into his chest, laughing with glee. His body filled with warmth, until he processed what she had said.

He pulled away gripping her arms.

“What did you say?” he asked seriously, hoping his expression was passive.

“Oh, don’t be so stoic,” she giggled, “I will still have time for you, nothing will change. And of course I said yes.”

He dropped his arms, a shot of ice carving through him. “If what you say is true, than a lot will change.” Her smile slipped as she regarded him, not understanding. “For one thing, you will have to go to his kingdom to be married.”

“Well, I know that!” she said dismissively. “But everyone can come! I couldn’t be married without my friends!”

Diaval shook his head. “You know how people are with the fair folk. Hopefully things can get better, but we are far from love and acceptance. Maleficent and the others will have to stay behind.”

Aurora’s smile fell completely. She bit her lip, searching for some alternative. “Well, we can be married here and--“ she trailed off, attempting to come up with a solution. There had to be one.

“It won’t be recognized as a ligament union by the Prince’s country, or your human one for that matter. You will have to go some time. While the Moors can run itself, the human world cannot. You must return.”

Aurora tried to hold back tears “But--“ she took a deep breath and willed herself to calm down, face reality. “Well, I suppose if that’s the way it has to be, that’s the way it has to be.” She continued steadily “I suppose I will visit you and fairy godmother, and the rest of the fair folk when possible, but--“

“You don’t have to worry about visiting me.” Diaval said smiling a bit, “Because I’m coming with you. Maleficent’s orders, so you’re stuck with me.”

Aurora’s eyes lit up. “Truly!” she exclaimed, and jumped into another embrace. She threw her arms around his neck, burying her head in his chest. His arms gently wrapped around her waist, for just a moment.

They drew away as they heard Phillip coming through the trees.

“Thank god, for a second there I thought I’d have to deal with all the crazy humans all by myself!”

 


	3. Friend Like Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diaval, Aurora and Prince Phillips journey begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah  
> About the whole not posting for six mouths...  
> I CAN EXPLAIN!!  
> Look, my beta reader quit on me and I only got a new on like three weeks ago SHOUT OUT TO THE POOJ!!  
> So yeah, its a big chapter!! And next one will be big to (which means we will probably be another long wait for an update (please don't kill me)

 As he watched the rolling country side drag by he couldn’t help but reflect on how much time they were wasting just traveling. As a crow he could have flown to Phillip’s country in a matter of hours, two days at most. As a human, though, he was stuck in a bumpy, cramped, and uncomfortable carriage on rout for weeks of travel.

“What are you thinking about?” Aurora asked. Diaval looked up from his brooding. She sat across from him, head on Phillip’s shoulder looking over at the crow-man curiously. Diaval suddenly remembered why he had been so absorbed in the silence. He had nothing to say to this pampered prince.

He shook himself. This harbored resentment he felt towered the other man was foolish. He wasn’t just courting Aurora, they were engaged to be married. Sure, it wasn’t yet official, the prince would need to propose in front of the whole court when they reached his castle for it to be widely recognized, but regardless the two would soon be married. It was something Diaval was going to have to accept, even if he didn’t like the man.

“Oh, nothing really.” he was about to tell her what had been on his mind but then stopped. Phillip didn’t know about Diaval’s crow form. Maleficent thought it better for as few to know as possible. Aurora had protested on the count of keeping it a secret from Phillip saying “He’s my other half, I can’t hide things from him!” but she eventually agreed deciding that it was Diaval’s secret to tell or keep as he chose. “Just not used to such, uh” He was about to say rough but he didn’t want to insult anyone. “comfortable travel.”

“Yes,” remarked the prince with reverence. “The carriage was specially built to be so smooth you couldn’t tell whether you’re traveling over paved dirt or grass roads.”

The man talked fondly of the monstrosity as if it was his own child, Diaval couldn’t even pretend to understand. He turned back and continued gazing out the window.

They had left before dawn that morning, but that hadn’t stopped almost all of the inhabitants of the Moors to come out and see their queen off. There had been tears and laughter and song. The good wishing displayed a life that now thrived in the Moors that Diaval hadn’t even known existed during Maleficent’s reign as queen.

They rode horses to a nearby town where dozens of servants, a few knights, twenty or so courtiers and a ridiculous amount of cargo awaited them. They set off on a journey that would take them through the heart of Aurora’s ancestral kingdom and then beyond to the princess’s lands farther south.

They would be lucky, Diaval thought, if they covered twenty miles in a day. Seeing as he could have crossed that distance with not too much effort in an hour, he felt he had a right to be dissatisfied with their progress.

Every bump came as a jolt. Every ditch sent Diaval starting. The trip couldn’t have been more exhausting if he had run it, let alone flew. Diaval found himself snapping at nearly everything the prince said and unable to continue a conversation for longer than a few exchanges of words. If there was a hell on earth, this certainly had to be it.

“Do you enjoy hunting?” asked the prince in yet another pathetic attempt to start a discussion. _Could the man not just sit and keep his thoughts to himself?_

Diaval almost asked him as much but swallowed his anger. “Sure.” He clipped as they went over another bump, and almost bit his tongue off “More in my younger years.” When Maleficent had changed Diaval to a human he found himself repelled by the idea of killing other living things. Sure, he could stomach it if there was no other option. he wasn’t fool enough to go hungry when there was nourishment around. But he couldn’t help but wonder whether or not that animal had a consciousness like his own, or if Maleficent chose to change the creature’s nature, whether it would developed a personality.

“Younger years?” Phillip teased. Diaval decided he distinctly did not like when the prince tried to tease him “You don’t look a day over twenty.”

“ _If you only knew”_ he thought.When Maleficent morphed Diaval into a human he had been in late adolescence, even if he had seen far more than the average crow did his lifetime. From there his two forms aged separately. His dragon form followed the same concept but because he’d only used it once he didn’t need to keep track of its age. He wasn’t exactly sure on the particulars; Maleficent had never explained it to him. But the general idea was that he didn’t seem to age linearly. Both of his forms progressed at a pace somewhere between a bird and human, but each body experienced time differently. He felt middle aged in bird form because he spent much more time in it, while in his human body, only a few years older than the day when first transformed. For all he knew his human form could be younger than Aurora’s, or even a decade older.

“I meant as a child.” Diaval clarified, slightly amused.

“Ah, well, I myself enjoy it immensely. We’ll have to make time for it somewhere along out journey.” The prince proclaimed jovially.

“That sounds-” _awful._ Then he thought of Aurora’s face. She wanted them so desperately to get along. “Wonderful, I’ll be looking forward to it.” Phillip looked satisfied. The carriage went over another bump and Diaval gritted his teeth, snapping his head, jerking away. He glanced at the sun through the window, it hadn’t even risen overhead yet. This was going to be a long day.

The sun slowly descended in the sky and finally the carriage came to a stop. Muffled voices and footsteps hinted at the bustling activity outside. The silence inside the carriage was broken as the doors were swung open.

Diaval stumbled out and fell onto the grass below. He laughed and bent down grasping tufts of grass in his hands savoring the feel of the ground beneath him. He never thought returning to the earth below would bring his so much joy. Flying, of course, would always be preferable. The steady gliding wings carrying him through the atmosphere, but at this point the crow man wasn’t going to be picky.

He heard a giggle and looked up seeing a small woman with mousy brown hair. Her eyes widened when she saw he had noticed her and she quickly turned and sped off, out of sight.

Prince Phillip stepped out in a much more dignified manner than Diaval had, then raised a hand to help Aurora out. She laughed when she saw Diaval on the ground and he immediately shot up, brushing dirt off himself, feeling a bit flustered and foolish, exactly why he was unable to say.

Prince Phillip motioned at a boy who looked no older than eight, commanding “Be a good lad and make sure the horses are fed and brushed.” Diaval glanced at the boy. He was painfully small for his age, thin too. Realizing he had been addressed by the prince, the boy snapped to and rushed off toward the front of the carriage to do as he was told.

“They’ll be starting dinner soon.” The prince informed them. “We shouldn’t have to wait too long, our tents are being put up as we speak” he turned to Aurora “Three of course. We can’t have certain things questioned before we are publicly engaged and properly married.” Diaval bristled at the thought of what the nobleman was referring to.

The boy returned quickly informing the prince that everything was being seen to as he’d requested. With a murmur of “You are indispensable.” He sent boy on his way. Someone, another courtier by the look of him, waved over at Phillip and the prince excused himself, leaving the two alone.

Diaval waited until the other man was well out of earshot before saying “That had to be one of the worst days of my entire life.”

She giggled shaking her head lightly “Oh you exaggerate, surely being turned into a dragon must have been worse.”

“I’ll take a hundred men at arms before another ride in that-“, he gestured to the carriage in disgust, “ _thing_ again. _”_

“Well unfortunately you don’t have much choice in the matter.” She said upturning her nose and fighting a smile threatening to grow on her face.

“Are you trying to be haughty?” Diaval asked disbelieving.

She sighed abandoning the façade and giving Diaval a wry glance. “It’s not very fun, all the other women do it though.”

“Not every woman is the queen of two kingdoms, if anything they should be trying to imitate you.”

Aurora frowned, a look that didn’t sit well with Diaval. He had never liked to see the girl sad. Whenever she was down or lonely as a child he would fly near her and try anything to cheer her up. Even if she didn’t know him as an intelligent creature at the time he thought if he was just lively enough, or flew around with enough vigor, he could make her smile again.

That wasn’t an option in this case so he did the only thing he could think to do to cheer his friend up. He put an arm around her shoulder.

She leaned into him sighing “It’s just I’ve been with Flora, Fauna, and Meriwether all my life, then the Moors. I have only lived in a castle one day and then I was asleep most of the time! They’ve been doing this forever, I feeling like I’m constantly messing up.”

Diaval looked down at her, waiting for her to continue. He could feel every place she pressed against his body and it suddenly occurred to him that he was only a few inches taller than her, unlike the prince who was almost a foot. What an odd thing to notice.

“Like today” she began again “I was talking to a few ladies during lunch and I try to tell a joke and I guess I seemed uncouth or something because they all start giggling and looking at each other in the oddest way I suddenly felt very stupid and,”, she bit her lip, “I’m afraid that I won’t be a good wife for Phillip. We are in love and all of that but what if I’m not a good queen?” It seemed like these thoughts had been plaguing her for some time and Diaval wondered why she didn’t reveal these feelings before.

“Aurora,” he turned her head gently to face his, holding both her arms and staring her straight in the eye “Courtly manners and social interactions can be learned.” She tried to look away but Diaval’s hand firmly kept her head in place. “You are one of the purest kindest people I know, that’s something that can’t be learned. Sure it may be hard, but you can do it, and I’ll be here to help you. You remember that, I’ll always be here.” He took his hand away from her cheeks and smiled. She smiled back at him.

“Now come on,” he said letting go of her, feeling the loss acutely “Phillip said something about food didn’t he?”

               

* * *

 

The next week passed in  what seemed like an eternity. The roads had gotten marginally better as they traveled though Aurora’s country but now they were approaching the border and the cracked stone pathways turned to dirt trails. They were too far west and the area was far too unpopulated to have any decent roads.

Diaval really wasn’t sure how much more of the rough treatment he could take. The constant jarring and bumping was really taking its toll on his body and he was becoming increasingly impatient and short with everyone he interacted with. He found himself constantly wishing Maleficent had never changed him into human and that he had died a long time ago as a free bird in the air. Death had to be better than this hell.

He watched the sun travel, gliding slowly across the sky. Finally after what had seemed like years, the sun neared the horizon and Phillip called a  halt.

Diaval jumped out and raced around the carriage to open Aurora and Phillip’s door. The man stepped out imperiously and starting barking orders to the servants while Diaval held out his hand to help the girl out. She smiled at him and yawned.

“I’m feeling quite ready for bed tonight.” She admitted “I do hope Phillip calls a rest day soon. Who knew traveling in a carriage could take so much out of you.”

“I am right with you there. I am sick and tired of that thing.” He gestured at the carriage as if it were a piece of rubbish.

She giggled at his comment, eyes brightening slightly. “I think I will skip supper tonight” She told him, “to rest.”

Diaval shook his head “Don’t be ridiculous,” he teased “Faron said that Ms. Baxter would be overseeing the stew tonight. Not something you want to miss.” In actuality, Faron had actually told  him that to encourage Diaval himself to join them for some eat, but Diaval was firmly against it, stew meant meat. Anyway even in his human form he didn’t need to eat much. He broke his fast with a fruit or two freshly picked from the nearby trees and ate whatever green things could be rationed out for him for dinner. That small portion held him over just fine.

“Who on earth is Faron?” Aurora asked walking in step with Diaval to the open field.

“We share a tent. He’s the stable master. I am sure you’ve seen him around. Blond man, striking blue eyes.”

“I think I know who you’re talking about.” Aurora nodded faintly remembering the man. “I guess I’ll have a few spoonfulls. Wouldn’t want to be rude” She relented giving in to Diaval.  The two companions stopped walking as they approached the campsite.

To the right of the road in the soft grass, the royal’s purple tents and the noble’s blue tents were being pitched. Farther to the left on the rockier more uneven ground, was dumped the undyed cloth that would be wrestled into structures once the courtiers were seen to. Behind the servants’ dwellings, in the farther reaches of the open land, some of the cooks and kitchen hands where busy starting a fire and prepping the vegetables and a wild goose carcass. Diaval shuddered catching sight of the mutilated bird.

Many of the couriers were already settled around the fire waiting for the servants to finish the cooking. Aurora skipped ahead and sat next to Phillip who seemed to be in a heated debate with another noble.

Diaval was seen as Aurora’s companion was and therefore considered a servant. He ate and slept with the maids, cooks, and stable hands. Because of this, after the carriage stopped for the night Diaval didn’t see much of Aurora Diaval gave a quick gander at the group and left to find a job to occupy himself with.

In the time between the courtiers’ supper and the servants’ supper he would make himself useful and help Faron out with the horse in any way he could. Usually he would get the dirtier jobs that no one desired or the tedious ones that Faron didn’t want those with experience wasting their time on. All the same Diaval didn’t mind, the other man was good company and it was better than doing nothing.

Occasionally he would also help Aurora’s lady in waiting Bailee, the girl he had seen giggling when he fell to the ground after the first day of travel. Diaval thought it was important to know the people that were taking care of Aurora. And besides, he liked Bailee. She was a sweet and capable girl and there wasn’t anyone into the camp he would rather have looking after the princess.

Because Aurora would probably want her bed made sooner than usual, Diaval sought out the small chestnut haired girl. She and a solid looking man with brown hair and tanned skin where pitching Aurora’s tent in the middle of the right side of the encampment. Diaval recognized the man as Leroy, Phillip’s own manservant.

 “I just wanted to warn you.” He said approaching Bailee and Leroy turned to him “Aurora is tired and will probably be retiring early.” Bailee nodded, muttering a thank you and started to comply with the request.

 Leroy’s brow furrowed and he motioned for Diaval to come closer and He complied, “Just hold this up,” Leroy said, offering the pole he had been balancing upright on the ground to him. The thing was heavier than Diaval had expected and he had trouble keeping it from falling. Leroy grabbed part of the fabric that lay over the pole and two others already stuck to the ground and drove a stake into the end successfully lodging one corner of the material into the ground. He did the same in the few more key places and stood up to admire his handy work

“Thanks.” He called. Diaval ducked out of the semi-made tent like structure and Bailee and Leroy set back to work.

Diaval wandered in the direction where the horses where tied up, intent on making himself handy for whatever Faron needed help with. The boy was young, couldn’t be older than twenty five but he had an undeniable way with horses. Even in the week Diaval had known him he saw that his talents were almost as undeniable as the arrogant being that good at something brought. He was in charge of the care and keeping of the horses on the expedition. This unfortunately did nothing to help his ego

Diaval was weaving his way out of the mass of half assembled tents when someone grabbed his arm and pulled him into one of the few that where finished.

Diaval shook himself out of his assailant’s grip and looked up, disgruntled, into icy blue eyes glinting with mischief. His white blond hair made him a distinctive character in its own right. Black or brown hair was most common in Phillip’s kingdom. But it was the half smirk that Gill was known for.

“What do you want?” asked Diaval, staring into the other’s face with a tired expression.

Faren might had been arrogant but he earned everything he had by skill and determination. His younger and fairer brother Gill on the other hand, was one of the laziest people Diaval had ever met. He had never worked a day in his life. He lived off his brother’s success happily flitting around and causing trouble for everyone. Diaval needless to say didn’t like him one bit.

Whether Gill realized that Diaval wanted nothing to do with him, he didn’t know. On one hand, Gill seemed to make it a point to bother Diaval whenever he was around. On the other, he seemed to wear his solitude and friendlessness as a badge of pride claiming that none of the people around him were good enough to waste his time on.

“You’re not going to be retiring early are you, like you have done the past few nights?” Gill questioned airily.

“Why do you care?” Diaval deadpanned. Whishing for an escape from the imbicle.

“Just curious that’s all.” Gill said trying not to look too interested. He was of course failing. The boy was easier to read than Phillip.

“You’ll be missing out,” he taunted.

"Yes I have heard about Baxter’s amazing stew-“snapped Diaval.

“What? Who cares about the stew!” snorted the other man “No, Shela’s gotten Arion to play the fiddle. He doesn’t like showing off so it’s a rare occurrence and not one to miss, he is really good.” He sighed exasperated “Come on, even the workaholic is going to be there.” He insisted,  referring to his older brother.

“Why do you care so much?” Diaval inquired.

“I don’t” offered Gill carelessly. Diaval could not help but wonder what the other man was up to.

“Sure.” Diaval muttered sarcastically. Gill wouldn’t leave him alone until he agreed so he might as well take it easy on himself.

“So you’ll be there.” Gill grinned.

Hell with it. “Sure Gill, yes I’ll listen to whoever is playing the fiddle.”

“Arion.” He supplied.

“Yeah Arion.”

“Great!” said Gill enthusiastically and then pranced out of the tent.

Diaval sighed, some humans were just unfathomable.

 

* * *

 

 

“Have a bit of stew Diaval, you don’t want to be rude.” Faron urged, nudging him.

Against his better judgment, Diaval found himself sitting by the fire a bowl of stew in his hands. Leroy and Bailee sat to Diaval’s other side quietly eating their own rations and talking quietly amongst themselves. Diaval had to strain to think of a time when they were apart and he wondered if they were together romantically. Gill lounged against a log a lazy smile plastered on his face.

Diaval looked down at the contents of his bowl in disgust. He didn’t think he could eat it. Diaval just couldn’t get the image of the dead bird carcass out of his mind. The whole thing seemed so incredibly wrong.

“It’s good, see!” Gill chipped in. Demonstrating, he tipped the bowl and slurped up some of the contents as if it were water.

“I’m sure that did nothing to increase his appetite”, Leroy scolded, “But he’s right, it really is very good.”

“I’m fine really.” Diaval assured stomach rolling at the thought.

“If you don’t eat it, you’ll insult Ms. Baxter.” Faron insisted “You took some and now you have no choice but to at the very least take one bite. It’s only proper.”

“Screw being proper, its food, nourishment. Eat.” Gill cried exasperated gesturing to Diaval’s still full bowl.

“Shut up,” Faron snapped at his brother. Gill raised his hands in mock offence, and then barked out a laugh slurping up the rest of his stew. Diaval grimaced.

“Just a bite.” Faron urged “She worked hard to make this for us; you have to at least try it.”

Diaval looked down at the bowl again and scowled. He picked up the wooden spoon and fished out a carrot then shoved it in his mouth as quickly as he could without thinking. Swallowing he put the bowl down as fast as he could and shuddered.

“I have never in my life seen someone have so much trouble eating food.” Gill said in disgust.

“Please stop talking before your lack of intelligent infects us all.” Faron prayed. Once again Gill just laughed, being the fool he was.

“So how do you know Aurora?” came a voice from beside him. Diaval had been so focused  on his food and the two brothers bickering that he hadn’t noticed Bailee trying to get his attention. He turned to her glad for the change of conversation

“Well,” He couldn’t exactly tell the truth but he would rather not lie in case he ever for some reason needed to come clean about his true nature to them.

“Why do you ask?” he evaded. If she was just trying to make small talk they could easily veer off into a different subject. But if she actually did care about the answer though she might be harder to throw off.

She chewed the inside of her lip quiet for a moment. Leroy took this as permission to jump in.

“What she’s trying to get at is that you’re supposed to be some sort of body guard,” he looked up and down Diaval’s thin frame and expressed what he thought of that. Diaval drawled his legs nearer to his chest suddenly feeling self-conscious. “But you well, don’t exactly look like a man that would be great in a fight.” Diaval, taken aback by the man’s bluntness, blushed. “The two of you act like you’ve known each other for a long time.”

“Yes yes.” Bailee shook her head, agreeing “But it’s something more, isn’t Diaval?”

It took a few seconds for Diaval to realize what she meant.

 He looked up in shock, mind registering what she was implying. None of them spoke for a long time. The two other looked at Diaval frankly while he stared at them in revulsion.

How could she imply such a thing? That he would have feelings for a girl he had known since she was a child. Then again, they didn’t know about that. But still, she was engaged to be married to another man, their prince no less.

“What did you say to poor Da?” asked Gill. The two brothers must have picked up on the silence.

“What the hell did you just call me?!” Diaval barked, mind still reeling in confusion.

“Faron, tell him she’s right.” said Leroy.

Diaval glanced at the other man who looked slightly uncomfortable “I don’t know how things are where you come from but by our standards well,” he grimaced “the way you act is a little beyond what is considered proper.”

Diaval stared at his tent mate warily. The five were enveloped once more into a tense silence.

“Well, hehe, you know.” Gill said nervously after a few moments, blabbering to fill the silence “The girls pretty and she’s not yet married so...”

Diaval spun around and stared daggers at Faron’s brother, trying desperately to stop himself from ringing the other man’s neck.

“Now what on earth has made you all look so miserable?” asked a silky voice behind them. Diaval turned towered the voice and was struck dumb.

A tall girl stood behind the five of them. She couldn’t have been a day older twenty. Long black glowing hair and a darker face than anyone Diaval had ever seen. She had full lips and long eyelashes and was so exotically beautiful that Diaval could do nothing but stare.

“Well, once again-“said a triumphant voice.

Another voice groaned “Have mercy on me.” it pleaded “Not all of us are workaholics like you.”

“Not a chance, five silver marks I believe.” Someone, Gill, he realized, grumbled.

Diaval blinked a bit, shaking off a strange feeling that had descended upon him. “What are you two on about?”

Strange, something rather odd something like-

The two boys paused in their bickering and turned to him, shock playing on their faces. Then a smug smile appeared on Gill’s face as he laughed in victory.

Magic, there was no doubt.

“Ha-ha! Spoke to soon brother!” he shouted dramatically. Diaval heard Leroy groan behind him.

Faren didn’t react but fished inside his purse and pull out five strange looking coins and dropped them into Gill’s outstretch hand.

“What’s going on?” Diaval demanded.

Frantic thought where playing across his mind. Someone had tried to work magic on him and Diaval was so distracted that it had actually worked for an instant.

How? And more importantly whom?

“They take bets.” Bailee explained, “Whenever someone new meets Khawala they wager on how the person will react. Faren is convinced that every man besides himself will fall completely in utterly in love with her at first sight.”

 “Gill on the other hand.” Leroy broke in with a contemptuous tone “Took the chance to do the only two things he’s good at. Waste money and argue with his brother.”

“Yes,” Bailee nodded. Diaval turned to face the two. He met Bailee’s large brown eyes which held an emotion he could not identify. He found himself harboring some resentment towered the two and quickly tried to shake it off. They meant no harm by their comments he was sure; they just had the wrong idea. “This is actually the first time Gill won the bet. I have never seen a man actually turn away from Khawala in their first meeting. Not even Faron.”

Bailee looked away. Something, something that had nothing to do with the comments about Aurora caused him to feel that something was amiss.

Magic, here?

“Well now that you have that all sorted out.” The honeyed voice was tinged with amusement. Khawala, Diaval told himself, that was her name. “Off in the clearing in the woods Shela and Arion have congregated quite a following and they have just started to play. I didn’t think Gill would want to miss any of it.”

“She’s over there?” Gill leapt passed Faron and the women toward Diaval and pointed franticly. “Hear that! You can hear it just a little! It’s sweet Shela playing the flute.” His eyes filled with adoration at the sound. “And Arion won’t be far behind.” The light in his eyes was genuine as he yanked the crow man up. “Come on! Oh this is going to be marvelous!” he laughed towing him behind. Expecting the other four to follow his lead.

 

* * *

 

               

Right as the six of them burst through the trees Diaval heard another sound joining the flute, lively notes rang through the air as people began to grab a partner and dance. A younger man, he must have been Arion, moved beside a middle aged portly women, whom he guessed was Shela. His hand delicately grasped a bow as it danced lividly over the different strings. Echoing out was an irresistible tune. The fire flickered as he saw Bailee and Leroy then Faron and the exotic woman, Khawala, start to swing to the melody. More men and women joined them. Light flickering over their faces.

Gill laughed delightedly and spun a nearby maid into the throng for all his faults, the man like his brother was attractive and had no trouble finding dance partners.

Diaval found himself twirling with a women with striking red hair and generous curves, maybe five years his senior. Her bawdy laugh rang out as he swung her around as deftly as he could. They’re feet moved and hands intertwining as the enthralling music played at an ever great volume.

The song ended and Shela quickly launched into another. Diaval, so caught up in the music hadn’t realized how tired he was. Maybe he would retire early tonight. He laughed and gave the woman a kiss on the cheek before she went to search for a new partner.

He was beginning to feel the bit of cheap brandy he’d consumed in the form of a pleasant buzz in the back of his brain. He felt a bit unsteady to his feet which told him it was time to go.

He glanced around for his companions and saw Faron and Khawala twirling quite erotically in the midst of the other dancers. Bailee and Leroy where off to the side, taking a break but showed no signs of being ready to leave. That was fine, Diaval would just return on his own.

He strapped into the woods and immediately sensed someone else lurching about. He scanned and caught sight of a hooded figure, a women judging by her shirts. He approached. “Why haven’t you joined the party?” he asked laughing. He detected a slight slur in his voice, maybe he had drunken a little more than he’d realized.

The girl looked up and Diaval realized in surprise that it was Aurora. She smiled slightly at the sight of him “I don’t know,” she sighed “Is it really my place? I am their future queen. Am I really welcomed amongst them?” Diaval propped himself against a tree, feeling a bit dizzy for a second. She gave him an incredulous look “Are you drunk Diaval?”

He liked the way she said his name, on the verge of laughter while trying hard to be serious “I didn’t think I was a moment ago, but now I’m not quite sure.” He admitted.

She laughed then looked longingly back at the party. Diaval decided he didn’t like seeing Aurora sad looking so sad.

“Say, how ‘bout this.” He said “Come with me and we’ll dance a song. Maybe after you’ll dance with another man, or maybe me again, or you’ll leave. But I know you want to join them, so come on.” She gave him a doubtful look and he laughed.

“Don’t worry; these people are grand you know, not like though stiff upper lipped high class folk.” She giggled a bit and rolled her eyes, but she seemed slightly put out.

“Well if you enjoy their company so much why aren’t you out there? I saw you dancing with her earlier.” she gestured just a bit contemptuously at the red head who was whirling around one of the cooks with vivacious intensity.

There was just a hint of disapproval in her voice, but Diaval caught it. Aurora had never reacted that way to anyone before. If these people where changing her very nature. He felt anger rise up in him. He wished they had just stayed back in the Moors.

“Aurora-“he said in the way of apology, though he didn’t exactly know what he was apologizing for. Wasn’t he allowed to dance with the red head, and if not, how come?

Bailee’s words earlier came to mind but he quickly shut them out. They had been directed at him, not her.

“Fine, you get one dance.” She huffed but secretly pleased. This only confused the crow man more. “But only one, maybe I want to dance with someone else, like him for instance.” She gestured at the red headed girl’s partner.

He glanced over and saw the man hungrily eying the red head’s body. Diaval decided that he would rather die than let his Aurora get anywhere near the man’s ravishing eyes.

He stopped for a second. His Aurora? The brandy must be affecting him more than he realized.

Diaval grinned and pulled her out of the forest and into the throng. The music which had been slowly weaving itself through Diaval while they had been talking in the forest hit him with great force.

The flutist and the fiddler were performing a duet. The seemed to be trying to outdo each other. Diaval grabbed her by the waist and she threw her hands around his neck. They stepped along to a country dance. Diaval was surprised how well the girl knew the complex moves. He couldn’t even begin to wonder where she had learned to dance so well.

Music faded from one song to the next. Aurora never followed through with her threat to dance with someone else. Hips rotated and hands roamed. The more alcohol Diaval drank the bolder he became. Bailee’s words and Aurora’s engagement were the farthest things from his mind. Half the time he didn’t really know what he was doing. Aurora seemed to be drinking as much as he was. More and more of the dancers were sitting, either too tired, or uncoordinated to continue. Diaval soon found that he was experiencing both problems collapsing to the ground off to the side.

 Aurora fell down next to him giggling uncontrollably.

“Where did you learn to dance like that?” he asked slowly, having trouble forming the words in his mouth

“Whaaa?” she laughed slurring “ha-ha yeeah. Shometimes back b-b-before you knoooow” she waved with a flop of her arm in the fire’s general direction. Diaval took that to mean when she was still living with the three fairies. “I woulth like uuuuh, wha where we talken ‘bout, oh t-t-toungth t-t-twister whe wher wwww! Ah! I can n-not dooo it ‘nymore.” She burst into another fit of giggles and Diaval found him sniggering just as hysterically. It was all just so funny!

Diaval had to cover his face he was laughing so hard. He was practically choking, Aurora doubled over too laughing just as hard.

So hard in fact that they didn’t even notice when the music stopped and a hush fell over the once boisterous crowd.

And suddenly Aurora was hauled to her feet. Diaval jumped up, stumbling. He looked up at her attacker and in surprise he recognized Phillip, frowning in displeasure at the two of them.

“You’ve made a right fool of yourself, in front of the common folk too.” the prince hissed into Aurora’s ear. She flinched back at his tone. But it didn’t seem like she clearly understood what was going on. Diaval felt an unexplainable rage fill him, sobering him and he took an uncertain step forward toward the prince.

 Someone caught his arm and jerked him back before he could proceed further. He glanced back to see Leroy, with Faron right behind him. Neither man looked happy. The prince then marched purposefully through the trees and Aurora went faltering after him saying something unintelligible.

Diaval wanted to chase after, but the warm buzz in his ears was making it harder to think.  He tried to take a step forward but remembered the hand on his arm when he almost fell forward.

“It’s not worth it, Diaval.” insisted a voice. Faron glared at the prince’s back as he retreated. Leroy made an obscene gesture at his employers back, nails digging into Diaval’s skin.

Only when Aurora and Phillip disappeared, did Leroy let Diaval go. He turned angrily words spilling out of his mouth in a rush.

Faron stared down at him pitilessly “You were about to do something very stupid,” it wasn’t a question. “We saved your ass.”  He sighed shaking his head “You’ll be grateful in the morning I don’t doubt it.”

Diaval having no response for the man reluctantly let himself be led out of the clearing by the stable master and into the forest.

“You’re drunker than you look.” Faron decided as he led back towered the encampment “You aren’t stumbling about and aren’t slurring much but only someone completely wasted could even imagine trying to pick a fight with the Prince.”

They soon arrived back where the tents were set up and Faron weaved through a dozen or so before stopping in front of their own.

“Get some sleep.” He said as they passed through the flap. He pushed Diaval down on his sleeping bag then collapsed on his own “God knows tomorrow’s going to be hell for you.”

 

* * *

 

               

Diaval thought the worst possible thing in the world was riding in the prince’s carriage

He found out the next day that he was wrong.

He wasn’t exactly a stranger to alcohol but it had always been a quick drink at the tavern while he and Maleficent were traveling or the fairy wines in the Moors. He had never consumed as much at one time as he had the previous night.

The after effects were truly horrifying.

Diaval sat in the cursed carriage, head pounding body aching. Every jolt made him want to throw up and he just wished that the world would end at the very moment and spare him all this suffering.

Aurora didn’t seem to be fairing much better. She looked pale, and he had seen her throwing up behind the bushes before they’d set off.

“I hope this teaches you two not to drink so much.” said Philip in disapproval. Diaval could have hit him if he wasn’t feeling so wretched.

The miserable hours dragged on. He had to admit though; he did feel himself slowly recovering from the strange sickness the alcohol had brought. But as the miles slowly dragged on, the urge to shed his mortal coil and fly free was becoming unbearable.

He could do it easily. Maleficent had given him the power to change from one form to another shortly before they departed. But a warning lay heavily in his heart. Who knew what would happen while he was gone? And what if someone saw?

But the physical need to fly overruled all logic as he felt the carriage come to a shuddering stop. Diaval had to force himself not to going running off into the forest right then and there. That would draw too much attention. He had to wait until he could slip away unnoticed.

Aurora, on the other hand had not improved very much over the course of the carriage ride. she was still very pale and looked like she wanted to heave again. Misery was written all over her face.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” he asked. The two stayed back and watched the nobility mingle. Phillip was the center of attention, which was nothing new or notable.

“I just want to go to sleep.” She exhaled, tiredly.

“That’s fine; I’ll tell Phillip you aren’t feeling well. I’m sure he’ll understand” he soothed laying a hand on her elbow and guiding her to the tents that were in the process of being put up.

“No!” she groaned, distancing herself from her friend. “He’ll get angry! You saw how upset he was last night! You weren’t even there for half of it.” She cut off abruptly and Diaval glanced curiously at her.

“I’ll take care of him.” Diaval assured her once more, feeling a bit uneasy “You need to lay down, you look like you’re going to be sick!”

She huffed, clearly annoyed but let him escort her to her tent. It was pretty easy to spot, one of the larger ones colored purple to signify royalty. Bailee and Leroy had already pitched it up and were in the process of placing different pillows and blankets inside. None of the other tents were half way up. Bailee must have noticed the state Aurora was in and knew to pitch the tent earlier. Diaval made a mental note to thank her when they had a moment alone.

“Here just wait a minute for them to finish.” He said smiling down at her. Bailee and Leroy looked up and increased their speed. They didn’t say anything to each other, it wasn’t socially acceptable, not when a princess was around.

“No rush, no rush.” Aurora tried to smile, encouraging the two not to worry. But Bailee didn’t even look at her. Leroy even turned pointedly away. Then they disappeared behind the flap. Diaval frowned in annoyance. Why where Bailee and Leroy behaving like that?

“Here I’ll help.” Diaval grabbed a blanket from the pile and ducked into the tent. He glanced at the two in annoyance,

“Why on earth-“he whispered angrily.

“Just friends?” Bailee asked innocently. Diaval blushed furiously remembering the way he had been holding Aurora’s arm, and God he had been leaning into her hadn’t he? Why the hell would he do that! Leroy didn’t even have the decency to hide his smile.

Before Leroy could embarrass him more, Diaval ducked out quickly. He’d talk to them when they were in a more reasonable mood.

“You’re blushing” Aurora said as Diaval walked back to where she was sitting, raising her eyebrow, a half smile creeping onto her face. That only made Diaval flush an even darker red.

“Alright, well I’m off.” Diaval stumbled “I’ll be back in a few hours if you need me.” He’d think on what was troubling her later, now he needed to escape this hell hole of humans and let his wings out.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

He glanced around, no one seemed to be in earshot “I got to get out of this form Aurora, it’s driving me insane.”

She bit her lip. “Just don’t be reckless.” She warned. Diaval smiled and walked swiftly away.

Finally. He would shed this mortal form and take to the skies. It had felt like he hadn’t flown in months while in reality it had been only a little over a week. The anticipation was crippling and he had to stop himself from running toward the forest.

Once he was safely in the underbrush and out of view, he took to sprinting. He felt himself change. It hurt a great deal, his slower and less adept transitions where far inferior to Maleficent’s quick and painless ones. But once the transformation was complete it was well worth the trouble. The air soared under his wings as he rose high above the trees once more.

The taste of the air was far more intoxicating than the drink he had ingested the night before and he reveled in it. He flew back the way he had come and emerged on the encampment. On the ground. the many clustered tents had always seemed to take up a lot of space. But with his new aerial view he looked down on the meadow surrounded by forest and realized that his sense of proportion had been tainted during his time as a human.

Hovering, Diaval flitted down towards the camp. Servants were still bustling about and courtiers were still mingling. Aurora was nowhere in sight and he hoped she was catching some sleep. He thought about checking on her and then realized how strange it would seem if a crow were to fly into the princess’s tent.

But he hadn’t become a crow to spend more time with humans that was for certain. He quickly abandoned the encampment and soared upward flying forward up the road where they would be traveling in days to come. He covered what was probably a day’s distance in a carriage in only an hour and then did it another time without effort. Once again, he was again aware of the amount of time they were wasting. If only all humans could morph into birds also.

A half an hour more and he would turn back, he decided. He couldn’t tell exactly what time it was but judging on the position of the sun he didn’t have long till sunset. It wasn’t that Diaval couldn’t fly in the dark, he had done it too many times in Maleficent’s service but if Gill or Faren went looking to pester him into going to supper and then dancing again, he wanted to be there. If they couldn’t find him, who knows what would happen.

It was about the time he was thinking of turning back to camp that he caught sight of something strange. Lights in the distance. Not the castle, he reasoned, the lights were far too low to the ground. Also they were still a good three days travel from the border and another week to the castle, a town maybe? Too small, Diaval decided. Another encampment seemed the mostly likely.

The spy in Diaval kicked in and he slowed his glide, diving downward. The closer he got the more he realized that this congregation of people was maybe two or three times the size of the one he had just left. He estimated there were about a hundred people bustling about down there and an additional amount out of sight.

What was more was that he saw soldiers. Sure there were a few knights in Phillip’s procession but only enough to fend off a couple bandits. Here, Diaval counted around ten on watch and another twenty milling around the camp. He didn’t even want to think about the numbers he couldn’t see.

There were many courtiers too, which eased Diaval mind slightly. At least he knew it probably wasn’t a war camp

Still they had a reputable force assembled.

Diaval swooped down. He had to find out whether these people were friends or foes. Humans fought against themselves almost constantly. Diaval knew Aurora’s kingdom’s geography well enough to know that there was no way these people had come from her castle or any of the other large cities in the country. They were too far west. They must be traveling from another land.

It was very possible they could be from Phillip’s kingdom which would make them friends. But there was also the chance that the convoy came from another country that was not as friendly. The farther south you went, the great the fear of magic became. The news of Phillip’s engagement to Aurora, not only a dear friend and ally to fairie folk but the queen of one of the largest homes of magic in the known world, might have reached disapproving ears. Phillip had sent a rider ahead when he had first come to the Moors to inform his court where he was and when he would be arriving back. That had been months ago.

Also, the countries to the east were no friends to either Aurora or Phillip. Stranger places lie in that direction and there was no telling what an encounter from a group of them would entail.

Considering though how war west they were in Aurora’s country, It was more likely that these people where southerners and not from the east.

He flitted to a nearby tree and perching on one of the branches he surveyed the area. The tents looked similar to the ones in Phillip’s encampment but that didn’t say anything in and of itself. It wasn’t until he caught sight of the banner that he realized that the men must be from Phillip’s lands. It was maroon with small green drops. A black indented line stretched across the middle with a hawk resting on it with two bells on either side. It was quiet elaborate and unmistakable.

Diaval breathed a sigh of relief. Friends of Phillip’s. Still it might be wise to collect a little more information. He didn’t have much time before his absence was noticed so he headed straight for the large purple tent in the center of the encampment. It seemed the best place to look for someone in command.

He landed on the ground near the tent flap, in the midst of so many tents there wasn’t much place to hide and listened to the conversation around him.

“Are you enjoying your supper?” came a hesitant voice. Diaval was in luck. His first guess was a servant. But the question seemed too bold for a maid to ask someone of royalty. Maybe a lesser noble perhaps?

“It’s fine thank you.” replied a snooty voice in obvious distaste. Now that sounded more like a royal. “How long until we reach Prince Phillip?” she asked, dispensing all pleasantries. So they knew about them. That could be good or bad.

“Ah well, I’m not sure.” admitted the other voice. “I thought we might surprise my brother in our coming, so I have not sent any riders out to meet them.”

Diaval’s mind reeled for a second. Brother? Was the man referring to Phillip? Surely this meager sounding man couldn’t be a prince! And who on Earth was talking to a prince in the manner the woman was addressing him?

 “Oh I see.” The women did not seem pleased in the least bit.

They sat in silence for a long moment and Diaval was contemplating leaving when the man spoke again.

“So you’ve heard about her I take it.” He asked.

Diaval froze. There was very little doubt in his mind on who the ‘her’ was.

“Yes, it’s not a problem.” The women dismissed.

“But surely you-“he began.

“Trust me, I’m not worried.” laughed the other women.

“Shoo!” screeched a voice from behind him. He had been so fixated on the conversation that Diaval had not even noticed the man approaching behind him. He leapt into the air, startled, and soared up into the sky.

Leveling off thirty meters off the ground, he soared back the way he had come.

 

* * *

 

               

It was dark when he arrived back at the encampment. He changed swiftly back into a human. He stood disgruntled as the pain of changing faded and the new sensations that came with the human form manifested. He paused for a moment looking down, he felt like he was missing something.

Clothes.

He scanned the area. Diaval was sure he had landed in the same spot he had taken off but there was no sign of his breeches or tunic. Perplexed he surveyed the ground again, sure he must have missed something.

“Looking for these?” asked a voice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha  
> worst cliff hanger ever


	4. Kiss the Girl

 

Diaval froze. The voice was female, but not Aurora’s. Not Aurora’s was bad. There was no way this person could have missed his transformation. His secret was out.

He realized, however, that he did recognize the voice.

“Khawala?” he asked. The women emerged out of the undergrowth. Her triumphant smile somehow didn’t take away from her beauty.

“Well,” she cocking an eyebrow. “I did know something was up.”

His mind was racing. In the time he had spent amongst these people, he had quickly gathered that they were decidedly unfriendly to the concept of magic. Now that the woman knew, there was no telling what she would do with the information. Regardless, it would certainly get back to the Prince and more importantly, his court. While Phillip had been able to overlook his internalized fear of magic for his love of Aurora, how he would respond to being lied to? His court, however, had no reason to care either way for the new princess and would only see the creature in her companion. These people were more afraid of magic than those in Aurora’s kingdom. A crow man? Closer to animal than human and as magical as a creature got. They would banish him, or possibly put a price on his head. Either way. Diaval would be in great danger and Aurora would be left alone in a world she didn’t understand.

That wasn’t correct. She would have Phillip. Still, something inside him told Diaval that Aurora did need him in some capacity. She had to.

“I knew you were magical!” she explained. “We all saw how much you drank last night. Any normal human would have died from alcohol poisoning, but you-” She shook her head. “You weren’t even slurring.”

“So because I had a high alcohol tolerance, I must be a fairy.” said Diaval

Khawala took that in stride “No. but it wasn’t just that. You were barely hungover today. Especially for a man of your size,” She gave him an appraising look.  “There was no way you’re human.”

He was suddenly acutely aware of his nakedness. Maleficent had once told him that humans put a great emphasis on decency. This human however, didn’t seem to be bothered by his current state of undress. “Oh believe me.” Diaval muttered. “I was hungover.” Why was he even arguing? She knew now, there was no use trying to convince her otherwise. But it seemed like the only rational thing he could do at that moment.

“Oh don’t be ridiculous, you were barely disoriented.” She scoffed.

“But that wasn’t all.”

“Excuse me?” she asked.

But she was faking it. Her easy manner was a cover up to hide just how nervous she was. Diaval then understood he had nothing to fear. His first instinct had been correct, yesterday, when he had first laid eyes on her. While she may know his secret, he now knew hers.

“No,” Diaval shook his head. “You recognized me because you were looking for it.”

She relaxed imperceptibly. He recognized he might not have gone about this in the right way but the end result would be the same. “Why on earth would I be looking for magical creatures?” she scoffed again, a bit too quickly.

“Because you are one.” He said.

He remembered the magic he’d felt the day before. Her exotic beauty was not enough to explain the near mesmerizing effect she’d had on him. The encounter also had a certain flavor to it that Diaval was able to identify without too much trouble. The trace amounts had been too little for him to take any real interest. She hadn’t been working magic, but some types of creatures radiated it through their aura whether they were channeling or not.

She froze visibly, but she still tried to play it off “What, a bird woman?” she asked. “I can assure you-”

“No,” Diaval said. “But magical you are all the same.”

“Really?” she was trying her best to seem as unconcerned as possible.

“You tried to enchant me didn’t you?” he accused “In the forest. I felt your magic.” She may or may not have, but calling her out on any type of magic would have her scrambling to remember exactly what she had done, especially if she used her magic intuitively and often as to develop such a perceptible aura.

She held out for a minute longer, Eyes darting back and forth, searching for something to protect herself with against Diaval’s words. But after a moment she deflated.

“I do have certain gifts.” She admitted.

Diaval waited for her to elaborate, but she stayed stubbornly silent. That, he supposed, was of little consequence. He didn’t need to know why she was the way she was.

“So it seems we have a dilemma here.” said Diaval. “We both have secrets. It would be foolish for one of us to reveal-“

“Reveal what?” Khawala snapped in panic.

He gave her a meaningful look “See? No one wants-“

“I was never planning on revealing your secret! Why in the hell would I want Aurora unprotected back home?”

“So what _do_ you want?” he asked pointedly.

She met his eyes staring intently into them. He felt a shiver go up his spine as he felt the magic flow off of her in waves. It was hard not to notice the dancing flecks of green in her warm honey eyes, but he tried not to. “I want,” she said in a tone as smooth as water “to let you know that you are not alone in this.”

“I would appreciate the sentiment more if you would stop throwing magic at me.” He said, irritated and not just a little uncomfortable. “And I don’t understand what you mean.”

She cut off most of the ebbing magic and glared angrily at him. “I am sure you know that there are those who would not delight in your coming.” She began.

“I am fully aware of the phobia your people have of magic.” Diaval said. “I am prepared to handle it. Nobody there can know of Aurora’s affiliation with the Moors and my true nature.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” Khawala said with a knowing smile.

“How do you mean?” Diaval asked slowly, not liking her tone.

Khawala regarded him for a moment then turned away as if trying to find the right words.

“Phillip’s engagement to your Aurora was sudden.” She began carefully. “Unexpected. Understand, while nothing was official or agreed upon, the court assumed that he had already had a bride picked.”

Diaval remembered the woman he’d seen an hour earlier. The words, ‘trust me, I’m not worried’, echoed in his mind.

“If nothing was official I fail to see the point.”

“All I am saying is that Aurora may have some competition, and that you should be careful. “

“Careful?” Diaval asked in disbelief “He’s in love with her! I don’t think true-“

“N--“Khawala clamped her mouth shut. She breathed in, collecting her thoughts. “All I am saying,” she said trying to remain in control. “All I am trying to do is warn you. Lady Sampson isn’t a woman lightly crossed.”

“And what is that supposed to mean?” Diaval was quickly tiring of these half warning and veiled truths. Then he was struck with something “Is Aurora in danger?” he asked, eyes searching the girl’s face for clues.

“No, no.” she dismissed quickly. “Just be sure to take all the necessary precautions. It’s probably nothing.”

“You’re doing a poor job of convincing me that the princess is not in danger.”

“Lady-“

“I will not cross this Lady Sampson, whoever she is.” Diaval interrupted frustrated.

“That’s all I am asking.”

Diaval was having trouble keeping ahold of his temper “Are you deliberately trying to be unhelpful, because you’re doing a stunningly good job of it.”

“That’s all I know.” She lied, insulting both of their intelligences.

Realizing he wasn’t getting anything more from the girl, he smiled thinly. “Well thank you for the warning. Now I would appreciate it if you handed over my clothes so I may venture out with the humans without scandalizing anyone.”

Khawala looked down at her hands as if just realizing she held his clothes. She grimaced and threw the mentioned articles in Diaval’s direction. He caught the trousers but the shirt had flown wide over his head.

Diaval slung on his trousers and reached for his tunic. Pulling it on, he was intensely aware that the women was still hanging about. Unsure of what she wanted. he paused a few moments waiting expectantly before turning away, intent on retracing his steps back to camp.

“Wait.” Khawala called.

Diaval turned but didn’t say a word.

“My secret is safe with you.” Khawala asked nervously.

“As safe as mine is.” He said. He thought that had been established early on in the conversation but the woman seemed to need reassurance. She glanced uneasily at him, nodding and offered a smile.

Diaval did not return it.

 

* * *

 

Supper, Diaval was told, had left something to be desired. It was all the same to him. Diaval never touched any of the meat regardless whether it was supposed to be fabulous or horrible. He didn’t touch the wine either.

Apparently, the prince barging in on the servants’ meal the night before was the story of the week. Those who had been there were spinning a tale much exaggerated from the actual happenings. All of them painted Phillip in an unsavory light. He clearly didn’t seem very popular among the servants.

He retired early, dancing and music didn’t seem as appealing as it had the night before. The evening of flying and the lingering effects of his sickness earlier that day made him ready to fall asleep and leave the confusing waking world behind him.

He walked back to his tent and was about to duck inside when he paused and decided to go check on Aurora. Creeping into the nobles’ encampment he made his way to Aurora’s tent. He peeked in and saw the girl tossing fitfully, murmuring in dreams. He smiled a bit to himself and pulled his head out.

 

* * *

 

“So I don’t understand,” a voice shattered through his sleep. “If you’re a crow, why don’t you eat meat?”

Diaval’s eyes shot open and he bolted upright. He glanced around wildly until his eyes landed on a figure crouched just inside his tent.

“Gil?” Diaval gasped.

“I’m serious here don’t crows eat carrion. Is it because the food’s cooked?”

“No, what?” Diaval asked in confusion. Then it hit him. It had been almost a week sense Khawala had confronted him about his true form. Apparently she had told his secret to at least one person.

Diaval jumped up, momentarily forgetting he was in a tent. He had to duck in order to avoid hitting his head on one of the posts that held the cloth up. “What the hell are you doing in here? And-“

“How do I know that you’re not altogether human?” Gil finished Diaval’s thought. “Well besides the fact that you scream ‘not-human’ to anyone who knows the right things to look for, have a thing with Khawala.”

“A thing?” asked Diaval in disbelief.

“Ew, no. She’s my brother’s lover, well minus that whole lover part of being a lover- never mind. An agreement okay? We kind of work together on these types of things.”

“Types of things?” Diaval felt as if he were playing catch up.

Gil winked at him in a way that made the crow man distinctly uncomfortable “Things.”

He waited expectantly for a few moments, staring at Diaval intently before losing his patience.

“I did ask a question.” Gil said. “The polite thing to do is answer it.”

“I-“ He spluttered trying to remember what the other man was referring to. “The meat? Why do you care?”

“Curious.”

“No,” He asserted trying to gain control of the situation. “No, why are you here.”

“Fine.” He lifted his hands up in mock surrender. “Be like that.” He grinned infuriatingly. “Well actually I do have a legitimate reason for bothering you. You see, the prince just got word that his brother Prince Ronith is leading a procession that should be here in a matter of days. Another day or so of riding and we’ll make camp. Then when Prince Ronith meets us we will start up again.”

“I don’t see what this has to do with me.”  Diaval said

“Well,” Gil mock winced and offered an unforgiving smile “I just wanted to make certain you had no problem killing other animals. Hunting is his favorite pass time and the man sure does have a bone to pick with you.”

Diaval’s heart sank. The mischievous boy in front of him, on the other hand, was alight with mirth. “So have fun with that.” He chortled.

The man slipped out of the tent cackling. Diaval’s glowered into Gil’s receding back. The tent flap, though, soon obstructed his view.

He sighed in defeat and fell back into his blankets, closing his eyes. But within minutes, Leroy duck a head in and informed him it was time to prepare for the day’s journey.

 

* * *

 

 

Phillip didn’t speak of a hunt on the carriage ride. In fact, he didn’t say much of anything. He seemed preoccupied. Aurora, too, didn’t seem her usual talkative self. She starred out the window almost brooding. For the first time Diaval was caught in the uncomfortable silence, instead of initiating it.

He stared awkwardly across at the two humans. In his bird form, reading body language and understanding what it meant in context was a crucial part of staying alive. When Diaval had first been turned into a human he was surprised to find out that fairy creatures and then later humans actually showed their emotions in similar ways as his bird brethren. Then when he had been transferred into a wolf, and then a horse, it had been all very similar. That was, taking into consideration the different body parts and niches and natures of the specific animal. Maybe they weren’t so similar now that he thought about it, but he’d always caught on pretty quickly.

He scrutinized the two people and tried to apply what he knew about birds to humans. They were sitting ridged, both leaning toward the window, almost pressed up against it. Diaval realized that they must be marking their territory. They weren’t full on attacking each other which probably meant that neither of them had crossed into where the other had claimed. They seemed hyper aware of each other, waiting for even the slightest aggressive move. How exactly that transferred into human emotions and thought processes, Diaval wasn’t sure. In general though, he could tell they were in some capacity unhappy with each other.

In normal circumstances, if he had been a bird, he would have recognized that this would be the time to get out of the line of fire. The two were a ticking time bomb, waiting to explode. Unfortunately, he was stuck in an enclosed place with no escape anytime soon. He was just going to have to wait it out.

He thought about trying to start conversation to help defuse the situation, talking usually calmed humans down. But sometimes it didn’t. He might accidentally hit a nerve and it all might blow up in his face. It was something he had accidently did to Maleficent many times. He usually figured out he’d gone too far right around the time she transformed him back into the bird. So he kept his mouth shut.

The carriage ride dragged on slowly. Not a word was spoken and Diaval could feel the silence weighing on him. His mind kept returning to Gil. He obviously knew about his true from, but what would he do with that information. Did he care about Khawala for Diaval’s leverage to be effective? Hell, did he care for anyone but himself? Diaval wasn’t so sure. After the carriage ride he would have to find the servant boy and discover what exactly his intentions were.

He glanced out the window at the sun just touching the top of the sky to signal midday. They had crossed the border out of Aurora’s country a few days back and now and were bumping along the dirt roads in the direction that must be toward Phillip’s castle. Trees in this area of the country congregated in little forests before leaving off to open grasslands. Yesterday, they had entered into a forest and, from what he remembered from his escapee last night; they had a few days journey until they reached open grass land again. On the ground, he started to notice little things that he hadn’t bothered to acknowledge in the clouds. The leaves were a darker green than any of the trees he was accustomed to and they grew with thinner, more uniform branches. Everyone once in a while Diaval would spot the strangest thing he had ever seen. Trees with thick trunks and a cone like structure, circumference narrowing at the tree grew upward, with green needles for leaves. The ground was alive with lush bushes and vines creeping up the trunks. Little light shined down through the canopy, giving everything a slightly shadowy looking appearance. It gave his surroundings a feel of mystery.

Fascinated with the strange dark forest, that’s what he would call it, the dark forest, he barely perceived the hours tick by. He only began to notice the day turning to night when the light shining began to lessen and turn darker shades of orange. Phillip called a halt only a little time after. As soon as the carriage pulled to a stop Diaval jumped out. They had arrived in a little clearing but a ground wasn’t covered with grasses. Taking off his shoes, Diaval let his feet sink into the cold, damp earth. He turned to see Aurora ambling out of the carriage. He grinned at her and she looked over at him, cocking an eye brow.

“What’s got you all excited?” she asked.

Diaval couldn’t really explain so he gestured at her to close the few meters between them. “Come on,” he said “I’ll show you.”

“Diaval,” she said sighing and looking just a bit wistful “I have things to attend to before I can go running off wherever.” she said regretfully, but with a tone of finality.

Diaval sobered up a bit. Oh course she didn’t have time to go running off into the forest with him, climbing trees or whatever he’d had in mind. She was a princess of humans. He was being foolish.

Diaval made a little bow “Yes of course.” Aurora turned and backed away. He looked on, troubled, as Aurora tried to give orders. He watched her join her fiancée as they stately walked s toward the congregation of courtiers forming a little ways back. He shouldn’t be upset that Aurora was acting more like a queen than the friend he’d known at the Moors, but he would be lying if he said it didn’t bother him.

He looked longingly at the forest. The last time he disappeared though, his secret had been discovered. He was hesitant to shed his mortal form and take to the skies. Still, the call of the forest was strong, and he knew he would yield to it sooner or later.

But first about Gil.

Diaval had never sought out the servant boy before. It turned out that he was surprisingly hard to find. He saw Faron and the little boy Will Henry along with the other stable hands taking care of the horses. Bailee, Leroy, and the other servants busied themselves with setting up the tents. Gil however, was nowhere to be seen. After a few minutes of search, though, he found the next best thing. Khawala. 

He approached her and she turned. He was struck with the usual sense of awe he now correctly identified as magic. He tried his best to shake it off and regarded her coldly.

“We had a deal.” He growled.

“Excuse me?”

“Gil? Really?”

She stared at him for a moment uncomprehending, the groaned. “He wasn’t supposed to say anything.” she told him frankly.

It was his turn to ask. “Excuse me?”

“He was supposed to keep quiet, you don’t trust him.” She shook her head “But when does Gil ever follow a simple direction?” she raised a hand to her head and massaged her temples.

“So you told him.” Diaval grabbed onto that piece of information.

“He’s the one that figured it out. He told me. He and I have a sort of agreement about these things.”

“So I’ve heard.” Diaval grumbled.

“Okay, look.” she said, catching his eye “He may not seem like it, but Gil’s fine, he’s trustworthy.” She looked around surreptitiously before continued in a lower voice. “He’s known about me for years now. He’s good.” She assured.

Diaval, however, wouldn’t concede. “Maybe that’s you judgment, but-“

“Yes but he figured it out.” She repeated. “Whether or not you think he’s trustworthy.”

Diaval was quiet for a moment, eyeing the women untrusting. Then he spoke. “Where is he?”

She shut off. He could see her lean away and cross her arms, getting ready to deny him anything he asked. “Why?” she asked defensively.

“I need to see him.”

“Why?”

“I need to determine whether _I_ think he’s trustworthy.”

“And if you don’t?” she asked, challenging him.

Diaval’s gaze didn’t waver “If I determine we might be in danger, I will leave and I will take the princess with me.”

 “And if she doesn’t go with you?” she asked quietly.

That caught him off guard “What?” he asked.

“She’s in love?” she said it like a question. “If she had found her soul mate, making her leave may take more than just the word of a servant like you.”

Diaval didn’t respond.

“What are you to her?” She asked gently. “A best a friend? Or just another person she puts on a fake smile for? Maybe she does genuinely care for you, but it would pale in comparison to the bond she has constructed between herself and the Prince. Regardless, she won’t simply turn and run with you back to your forest and your Maleficent while she still believes in the lie.”

“What lie?”

“That true love exists.”

“You don’t believe in true love?”

“Only foolish people do. All that love at first sight, true loves kiss. It’s all a lie to force women into marriages that are politically beneficial for their parents.” Diaval stared at the girl. He knew for certain she was wrong on at least one count. He suspected however that this girl really did believe there was no such thing as true love. What had driven her to that conclusion, however, was probably a story he didn’t want to hear. The last person who’d spoken like that to him had been Maleficent, and she’d been completely and horrifically betrayed by the man she’d fallen in love with.

She stared into his eyes “You can’t yank her out. She believes in what she had with Phillip and nothing you say will change that. The only way to help her is to work with us,”

“Work with you?” Diaval drew back, detaching himself from the sob story. He realized that the woman had probably laced another enchantment on him while he hadn’t been paying attention. In fact, he felt the magic subtly drifting off her right then. “That only thing threatening her is you.”

“And how on earth did you come to that conclusion!” she snapped, breaking off the enchantment. Diaval was really starting to hate this girl and her tricks.

“Aw bonding!” came an obnoxious voice “Isn’t that cute.” Diaval turned to see the blond haired, blue eyed Gil walking toward them “What are my best buddies talking about? I feel so left out!” Gil attempted to sling an arm around Diaval’s shoulder, but the crow man ducked out of the way.

“I need to speak with you.” He turned to the blond boy.

“Course you do, you probably have a lot of questions.”

Surprised at Gil’s cooperativeness, Diaval was taken off guard. “Well yes I-“

“Like how do I keep up such dashing good looks in the middle of the wilderness? And how on earth can one person be so-“

“Gil.” Khawala interrupted.

“It’s rude to cut people off Kha.”

“That’s actually quite rich coming-“

“What the hell are you two on about?” Diaval exploded.

“Well Kha here was trying to-“

“No!” Diaval couldn’t remember a time he had been this frustrated “Look, all I need to know is what you plan on doing with the,” he paused and said carefully, “information you are now possess about me.”

“Poor little untrusting bird man.” Gil sighed shaking his head in sadness. “We promise to keep you whittle secret? Friends?” He asked hopefully.

Diaval realized in that moment that he wasn’t going to get anywhere with these two servants. He suspected that if he spent another moment in their presence, he’d do something he’d regret.

He turned and started walking back into the encampment.

“Isn’t it cute how constipated he is.” Gil coed from behind.

“You’re not funny. At all.” Khawala told him

It was only after he’d stormed away that he remembered Khawala’s mention of Maleficent, someone she should have had no knowledge of.

 

* * *

 

 

The crow man was stretched out on the ground. He had weaved his way into the forest and collapsed on the earth and vines, closing his eyes and trying to shut out the confusing situation he found himself in. He didn’t even have the energy to change. When Maleficent had done it the whole process had always seemed effortless. Clothes and all, he would be transformed from a bird, to a human, to a wolf, to a horse, to dragon, and back to a human. On his own, though, it took him an absurd amount of willpower to change from one form to another, and he still couldn’t get the clothes. Forget trying to create another body. He was limited only to the forms Maleficent herself had created.

He needed to escape. He wanted to be alone. To try an order this thoughts as work out exactly how to handle the current circumstances. Could he trust Khawala and Gil? He doubted it. He knew there were certain things they weren’t telling him, and they had no discernable reason to care about either him or the princess.  Was his leverage against Khawala enough to keep them in line? A day ago he would have said yes. But then Gil came into the picture. He was not only unpredictable but Diaval could not think of one thing Gil had to lose.  That made him dangerous.

Why involve themselves with him at all? What were their motives? Two servants, neither of which he knew much about, one of which a magical creature in a land were magic was, at best, not accepted?

They knew a great deal about Aurora, much more than Diaval was comfortable with. How they had come by their information was another question, but of less importance at the time. Was it possible these people wanted to help Aurora? Having a queen sympathetic to magic could not be a bad thing for magical creatures. But then, why not come out and declare their support. Why be so cryptic? Why approach Diaval and not Aurora herself.

It was also possible that this had nothing to do with Aurora at all. Diaval knew the kind of rewards King Stephan had put in place for the capture and slaying of magical beings. It was likely there were ones such as those in Philip’s kingdom. Prince Phillip had obviously come around to the idea of magic, he’d stayed in the Moors for an extended amount of time, but who knows what he had thoughts of it before Aurora, or what his father or grandfather thought about it during their reign. Maybe they were planning to turn him into a local lord whom still held a grudge or deep seeded hatred for fairies. But if that were true, while reveal themselves?

And what were magical creatures doing so far from the Moors anyway?

All questions and no answers.

He was missing pieces of the puzzle. All he need was more information and the motives would become clear. That meant he had to watch and wait. The two wouldn’t have contacted him if they hadn’t wanted something. They would have to reveal themselves in some capacity to get it. Then he might get a better idea of what was going on.

“Diaval?” came a voice. Aurora. Diaval opened his eyes and lifted himself up onto his buttock. He crossed his legs and looked in the direction the voice was coming from.

He could see her yards away, picking through the trees with her ornate skirts hitched up so they wouldn’t snag. These hesitant steps were a far cry from the heedless running she’d done in the Moors.  He wondered whether this was new, or if he had just been so absorbed in his own problems that he hadn’t noticed.

“Aurora.”

She stopped about three steps away from him and sank to her knees. She put her head in her hands and breathed deeply. Diaval moved closer laying a hand on her shoulder “Tell me what’s got you upset?” he said gently.

She leaned into him and Diaval positioned himself against a thicker tree, one of the strange needle ones.

“I don’t know if I can do this.” She confided.

“Do what?”

“This,” she gestured out in the forest. He couldn’t see her face; she had sagged into his chest head neatly tucked under his. They were both looking out into the dark tangle off woods. Diaval hadn’t realized, but it was getting close to dark. The orange and pink light of sunset was shining down through the canopy, dazzling the eyes. It was breathtaking to see.

“This.” Diaval echoed.

“Being a princess.”

“You were born a princess.”

“A queen.”

“A queen?”

“Yes.”

“And why don’t you think you can be a queen?” he asked.

“I’m not good at it. I fumble, I mess up, and everyone looks down at me like I am some darling child. I almost think it would be better if they hated me, like Bailee.”

“Bailee doesn’t hate, you does she?” Diaval asked, astonished, thinking of the mousy girl.

“She doesn’t come out right and say it, but I can feel the hostility.”

“How is that even possible?” Diaval shook his head, baffled, remembering her adoptive parent’s gifts.

“I’ve tried to think, but I can’t pick out one single instance where I have done anything to make her feel even the slightest bit unhappy!”

“Well you’re the Queen and she’s a servant.” Diaval provided, thinking back to his time with Maleficent.

“I’m not cruel to her!” she protested. The fairy had never been outright cruel to him. Dismissive yes, and a slave driver, but never cruel. Still, it had been years before he had come to care for her in the way he did now.

“I don’t think that especially matters, you’re still that one in control of her life, not she.”

Aurora paused for a moment “I never thought of it that way. I assumed that she liked being a servant.” She shook her head in confusion. “Why on earth would she be a lady’s maid if she didn’t like it?”

Sometimes Diaval forgot how sheltered Aurora really was. “She has to have a job.” Diaval said “Sometimes you have to do things you don’t like to put food on the table.”

Aurora mulled over that. “But I-“she started.

“You’re a princess.”

“Not always, when I lived with the fairies I wasn’t.”

“They took care of you.”

“So what you’re saying is that Bailee doesn’t have anyone to take care of her?”

“Yes,” Diaval said, “So she has to take care of herself, and sometimes that involves doing things you don’t especially love.”

“So what can I do?” she asked. “To make her like me?”

Diaval barked out a laugh. “I wouldn’t know, I’m a bird.”

“That’s true.” He could hear the smile in her voice. “Suppose that wasn’t the smartest question.”

Diaval suddenly realized how they must look. Leaning against each other, hands entwined. At some point Diaval had wrapped his other arm around the girl’s stomach. His legs were splayed and she was sitting between them. If anyone passed by them they would surely get the wrong idea.

“What do you mean?” He asked pushing those thoughts away. Nobody was going to be out here.

“What?” she asked.

“You keep messing up?” he prompted.

She groaned “I just say the dumbest things.” She dismissed “But let’s not talk about that now. What’s been up with you lately?”

“Me?”

“Yeah.” She squirmed around and Diaval spread his legs wider to accommodate her new position. She was facing him now, kneeling in front of him, inches away but not touching. He breathed in sharply. They had gone from comfortable closeness to something else.

“You’re different.” She whispered, he could feel her breath. “You’re worried,” Her blonde hair was falling from her shoulders her brown eyes intent on his. her face centimeters away. He barely breathed. His gaze kept flitting from her eyes to her lips, she was smiling just slightly.

“Aurora,” he exhaled.

“Diaval,” she murmured, leaning in just a fraction closer. “Diaval,” she repeated, searching his eyes. 

He leaned up and kissed her.

It was nothing really. A peck, a quick touch of the lips. But when Aurora gasped and jerked back. He knew it had been everything. They stared at each other for a long moment, surprise and confusion written on both of their faces.

“Aurora,” Diaval gasped. She stepped away, shock registering. “Aurora I-“Diaval called helplessly not know what to say, not understanding what he had just done.

Aurora turned stumbling away. Diaval opened his mouth and closed it, floundering.

He was paralyzed.

He quickly realized it wasn’t shock, or confusion that was stopping in from moving. He was physically unable. Magic, he sensed, strong amounts of magic were keeping him in place, suspended in animation.

Then it hit him.

Suddenly he was on the ground, shaking uncontrollable. His throat had constricted, he couldn’t breathe. A pressure was crushing inside his head. He felt himself vomiting. He tried to roll over but his muscles wouldn’t obey his commands. His ears were ringing and his sight was unfocused and dimming. He was blacking out; slipping into an unconsciousness he wasn’t sure he’d wake from.

Then it was gone.

“Diaval. Da.” came a calm but commanding voice, coaxing him back to the world. Diaval gasped in breaths, eyesight returning to normal. The high pitched whine in his ears was fading. His mouth tasted metallic, like blood. He must have bit down on his tongue during the strange episode.

What had that been?

“Hey, you alive?” came the voice again, this time, Diaval recognized it.

Diaval lifted his head to meet the blue eyes of his companion. “Gil?” Diaval croaked out.

“The one and only.”

Diaval shot up to his feet and was met with an overcoming dizziness that almost had him falling to the ground again. Gil rose with him and put out a hand to steady the crow man.

“Wow, easy does it.” Gil admonished. “You were hit by quite a bit of magic right there. Don’t go pushing it too hard.”

“What?” Diaval asked.

“Magic,” Gil repeated “I assume you know what that is.”

Diaval squinted at him, too disorientated to really give a reaction. “Yes, I do, but what do you mean?”

“Disregarding the vagueness of the question you just asked,” Gil sighed indulgently “I will the answer the question you meant to ask. That was Lady Mohana Sampson of the Southernmost Island, Princess of the Ocean people.”

Diaval shook his head, these assortment of titles meant nothing to him.

Gil sighed. “You know that Phillip’s kingdom borders the sea? Yes well there are some islands in this sea, mostly controlled by the Ocean People a few controlled by Phillip himself. The Southernmost Island is just one in the middle they both claim, they guy who named it was a dumbass. There’s tons of political who-ha about dual-vessel hood and the like, but long story short Phillip controls all of it. The Ocean Peoples are just an individual kingdom under Phillip’s rule. This makes Mohana both in line for the rule of the Ocean kingdom and a subject to Phillip. She had been betrothed to Phillip since birth until Aurora came along. See the problem?”

“Mohana feels slighted.” Diaval said slowly.

“You could say that.” Gil grimaced “She’s a witch.”

‘Is that an insult?” Diaval asked, confused.

“No, an actual witch, a human with magic.”

“That’s impossible.” Diaval dismissed. “Only the fay can wield magic.”

“Where you come from, sure, but other strands of magic do exist. Did you really think the Moors were the only place of magic in the whole world?”

Diaval hadn’t really thought about that. But since he had been transformed from a bird into a human, he had learned to accept new information about magic quickly.

Diaval paused, trying to get a grasp on the situation “So we have a violent witch with a grudge against Aurora.”

“Yeah, that’s about right.”

The implications of this hit Diaval “We have to get her out of here!” he said urgently. “She’s in danger!”

Gil snorted “Way too late for that. The Ocean bitch is here and she’s probably cast a manner of spells to trap Aurora. That spell she sent out? That was a warning to any magical creatures protecting her, you. That was hello.”

“So what do you propose we do, if you have all the answers?!” Diaval shouted, turning away.

“We can’t do anything.” Gil laughed. “She has the upper hand. She’s the noblewomen, princess. She has a whole lot more power than anyone else here and we can’t leave to fetch any of your powerful fairy friends. It’s her move, we have to wait and react.”

Gil had this thought out, Diaval realized. He knew exactly how the board was set and had already decided their play within moments of Diaval keeling over. How had he even known that Diaval’s attack had been a result of magic? There was no way he could have, unless he had known, or at least suspected, that this would happen.

Yet he hadn’t warned him, or anyone.

“Why didn’t you tell me of this before?” Diaval hissed, spinning around to look at the other man.

Gil was nowhere to be seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I don't love this chapter
> 
> It feels like so much World Building, not enough character development. I mean it will pay off later but I hate how central the OCs have become to this story. I hope you can forgive me. Because of the shitness that is this chapter I decided well I through in a squeal moment. I think its time the romance got a little out of the river in Egypt. We're not out of Africa yet, though! I am going to try to make these chapters more frequent but I have AP tests coming up and so many other things to write. Sorry guys
> 
> Oh and my beta reader said that I have something called Creative Dialogue Tag Syndrome. Basically I use to many creative dialogue tags. I have tried to curve it here so tell me if you particularly thought it was an improvement or not. Thanks for the input!


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